Apples May Reduce Stroke Risk

In that certain previous studies have suggested a role for certain fruits and vegetables to combat the risk of stroke, Linda M. Oude Griep, from Wageningen University (The Netherlands), and colleagues followed 20,069 Dutch men and women, average age 41 years, all of whom were free of heart disease at the study's start, for a 10 year period during which the incidence of stroke was documented. The team found that those subjects with the highest daily intake of white flesh fruits and vegetables – such as apples, pears, bananas, cauliflower, and cucumber— experienced a 52% lower incidence of stroke, as compared to those who ate the least of such foods. Specifically, each 25 g per day increase in consumption of white flesh fruits and vegetables associated with a 9% lower risk of stroke, whereas no association was found for green, orange and yellow, or red and purple fruits and vegetables. The team concludes that: “High intake of white fruits and vegetables may protect against stroke.”